Gerrit MCP Server Configuration (gerrit_config.json)

The gerrit_mcp_server is configured via a central JSON file located at gerrit_mcp_server/gerrit_config.json. This file allows you to define connection and authentication details for multiple Gerrit instances.

A sample file is provided at gerrit_mcp_server/gerrit_config.sample.json which you can copy and customize.

Top-Level Configuration

The configuration file has two main properties at its root:

Key	Type	Description
default_gerrit_base_url	string	The full URL of the Gerrit instance to use if a tool is called without a specific gerrit_base_url parameter.
gerrit_hosts	array	A list of objects, where each object defines the connection and authentication details for a specific Gerrit instance. This is the core of the configuration.

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The gerrit_hosts Array

This is a list where you define each Gerrit instance you want to interact with. The server will look through this list to find a host that matches the URL of a given request.

Each host object has the following structure:

Key	Type	Description
name	string	A user-friendly name for the Gerrit instance (e.g., “Fuchsia”, “Public Gerrit”).
internal_url	string	(Optional) An alternative URL for the same host, often used for internal network access. The server will recognize both this and the external_url.
external_url	string	The primary, publicly accessible URL for the Gerrit host.
authentication	object	A required object that specifies which authentication method to use for this host. See the detailed section below.

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Authentication Methods

The authentication object is the most important part of the configuration. It tells the server how to authenticate its curl requests to the Gerrit API. You must specify a type for each host. There are three supported types.

1. git_cookies (Recommended)

This method authenticates requests using the same .gitcookies file that Git uses to authenticate command-line operations like git push. This is a convenient option if you already have this set up.

To generate or update your credentials, log in to your Gerrit instance, navigate to Settings (the gear icon), and find the HTTP Credentials section. Gerrit will provide a script or commands to run that will configure your .gitcookies file with the correct authentication token.

• type: "git_cookies"
• gitcookies_path: The path to your .gitcookies file (e.g., ~/.gitcookies).

Example:

{
  "name": "GitCookies Auth Example",
  "external_url": "https://another-gerrit.com/",
  "authentication": {
    "type": "git_cookies",
    "gitcookies_path": "~/.gitcookies"
  }
}

If a matching cookie is not found in the file, the server will fall back to making an unauthenticated request.

2. gob_curl (Google Internal)

This method is for developers working within Google's corporate network. gob-curl is a tool that automatically handles authentication for internal services.

• type: "gob_curl"

Example:

{
  "name": "Fuchsia Open Source [Googlers]",
  "internal_url": "https://fuchsia-review.git.private.corporation.com/",
  "external_url": "https://fuchsia-review.googlesource.com/",
  "authentication": {
    "type": "gob_curl"
  }
}

3. http_basic (Not Recommended)

This is the standard and most common method for authenticating with a Gerrit instance's REST API. It uses a generated HTTP password or token.

• type: "http_basic"
• username: Your Gerrit username.
• auth_token: Your Gerrit HTTP password/token. You can usually generate this from your Gerrit user settings page under “HTTP Credentials - Obtain Password”.

Example:

{
  "name": "Fuchsia Open Source",
  "external_url": "https://fuchsia-review.googlesource.com/",
  "authentication": {
    "type": "http_basic",
    "username": "your-username",
    "auth_token": "your-auth-token"
  }
}

Complete Configuration Example

Here is an example of a gerrit_config.json file that defines multiple hosts using all available authentication methods.

{
  "default_gerrit_base_url": "https://fuchsia-review.googlesource.com/",
  "gerrit_hosts": [
    {
      "name": "Fuchsia Open Source",
      "external_url": "https://fuchsia-review.googlesource.com/",
      "authentication": {
        "type": "http_basic",
        "username": "your-username",
        "auth_token": "your-auth-token"
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Fuchsia Open Source [Googlers]",
      "internal_url": "https://fuchsia-review.git.private.corporation.com/",
      "external_url": "https://fuchsia-review.googlesource.com/",
      "authentication": {
        "type": "gob_curl"
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "AOSP (via gitcookies)",
      "external_url": "https://android-review.googlesource.com/",
      "authentication": {
        "type": "git_cookies",
        "gitcookies_path": "~/.gitcookies"
      }
    }
  ]
}